A giant Iron Man statue stands next to a replica Sphinx in Chuzhou, Anhui Province, China on February 21, 2017. (Photo by Sipa Asia/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Couples take part in a competition during a mass wedding of 64 doctoral student couples at Harbin Institute of Technology, a university in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, June 4, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Tourists crowd a water park in Wuhan city, central China's Hubei province on July 15, 2017. Days of heat wave drove many citizens to the water park for fun and coolness. Nanchang has become the new four “furnace cities” in China according to a ranking of the hottest cities released by the China Meteorological Administration on July 9. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A petitioner with her grievances written on her clothes walks along a street in Beijing Tuesday, December 22, 2015. After months behind bars, Pu Zhiqiang, one of China's most prominent human rights lawyers, left a detention center Tuesday after receiving a suspended prison sentence in a case involving online comments critical of the ruling Communist Party. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

It’s a tradition that dates back hundreds of years, where two stallions fight over a female to ring the Chinese new year. And when it’s the Year of the Horse, the fights are considered to be even more significant. They’re held in small villages across southern China and have been condemned by animal rights groups, including Hong-Kong based Animals Asia. But those who participate in the events defend the fights and insist they take care of the animals.

A view of fluffy toy bears displayed for attraction outside the windows of a hotel in Yantai in Shandong province Thursday, January 6, 2022. (Photo by Tang Ke/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Folk artists perform intangible culture heritage items during a celebration at a park in Chengshan Town to welcome Chinese new year, on Janaury 18, 2022 in Rongcheng, Shandong Province of China. (Photo by Yang Zhili/VCG via Getty Images)

Flight attendants of Zhejiang Loong Airlines undergo rigorous posture training on March 14, 2022 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. A total of 300 flight attendants received an etiquette training, including 13 courses for Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, which will be held from Sept. 10 to 25, 2022 in Hangzhou. (Photo by Wang Gang/China News Service via Getty Images)